Bronzing machine



Oct. 19, 1937. E. w. BELLUCHE BRONZ ING MACHINE Filed June 22, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Oct. 19, 1937. E, w, BELLUCHE 2,096,026

BRONZING MACHINE Filed June 22. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented oct. 19, 1937A UNITED STATES PATENT vOFFICE BRONZING MACHINE Application June 22, 1935, Serial No. 27,929

5 Claims.

This invention relates to bronzing machines designed to apply bronze in powdered form to printed matter, the bronze adhering only at the places where the sheet has been sized.

Bronzing machines are either of the flat or rotary type. As indicated by their names, in the flat bronzer the sheet is carried through the machine in a flat state, while in the rotary bronzer it is carried through the machine on a revolving cylinder. In both types, the work or sheet is carried beneath a supply of bronzing powder to have a predetermined amount of the powder deposited on the face of the sheet, and then past a burnishing pad or pads which rub the powder in the sized portions of the sheet.

After the sheet passes the burnishing pad or pads, it enters a vacuum chamber in which dusting rolls or brushes sweep off the excess powder, the powder so removed being withdrawn from the vacuum chamber by suction.

The application of the proper amount of bronzing powder to the sheet is essential to the production of good work. Hence, it is desirable to control the deposition of powder onto the sheet. Also, for the sake of economy, it is desirable to coordinate the feeding of the bronze powder with the passage of the sheets through the machine so that no more powder is fed from the fountain than is necessary to supply an adequate amount for the work passing through the machine.

In the earlier bronzing machines, both of the flat and the rotary type, the sheets were positively gripped by conveyer means and positively carried through the machine. This necessitated timing which, as is well known, entails expensive and complicated mechanism.

To simplify the construction and design of bronzers, a mode of carrying the sheets through the machine which eliminated the necessity for positively gripping the same was developed. To this end, the sheet entering the machine was deposited on a continuous belt having a surface of. rubber or some other material having a high coeificient of friction if the bronzer was of the fiat type, and onto a, rubber covered cylinder if of the rotary type. In each instance, the instrumentalities acting on the sheet to effect the bronzing hold the sheet down onto the rubber covered carrier so that the sheet is carried through the machine entirely without the necessity for positively acting grippers and the attendant complicated timing mechanism.

Obviating the need for timing mechanism greatly simplified the machine, but it took away the possibility of coordinating the feed of bronze powder from the fountain with the passage of sheets through the machine, and as a consequence, the feed of powder from the fountain continued unless manually operable means were actuated to shut oif the feed.

This continuous and uninterrupted feed of powder regardless of whether sheets were passing through the machine or not, obviously is objectionable if for no other reason than one oi. economy, and to overcome this deficiency of bronzing machines in which the work is not positively gripped, is one of the objects of this invention.

Another object of this invention is to provide a control for the feed of bronze powder from the fountain which is governed by the sheet itself as it enters the machine.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel manner of controlling the functioning of the feeding mechanism of the bronze fountain 20 so that it is instantaneously rendered operative upon the entrance of a sheet into the machine and inoperative upon the passage of the sheet past the point o f application of thev bronzing powder. 25

More specifically it is an object uof this invention to provide a clutch for controlling the functioning of the bronze feeding means and pneumatically operable means for engaging the clutch.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly dened by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one complete example of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the best mode so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a section view through a bronzing machine of the iiat type showing the application of this invention thereto;

Figure 2 is a section View taken through Figure 1 on the plane of the line 2-2;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view illustrating primarily the control for the driving clutch of the bronze feeding mechanism; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail view taken on the plane of the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral 5 designates the frame of the bronzing machine, which, as illustrated, is cf the fiat type. although it is to be understood that the invention is applicable to bronzers of the rotary type.

Mounted between the sides of the frame 5 is an endless conveyer belt trained about pulleys 1 and 8 suitably journalled in the frame. The pulley 8 is driven from a. main drive shaft 9 by a belt I0, and the main drive' shaft is driven in any conventional manner (not shown) from the press which feeds the bronzer.

The endless conveyer belt 6 is formed of rubber or some suitable substance the outer surface of which has a relatively high coeicient of friction so that the sheets S fed from the press onto the conveyer 6 are held thereon by frictional engagement with the conveyer belt. To feed the sheets from the press (not shown) to the conveyer 6 a suitable conveyer I I is provided. This conveyer may comprise a plurality of side by side tapes trained about pulleys I2 at the discharge end of the conveyer,`the pulleys being located directly adjacent the pulley 1 so that only a small intervening space is left between the conveyers II and 6. The conveyer II is driven from the press (not shown) and travels at press speed, which is slightly less than the speed of the conveyer 6.

Above the forward end of the conveyer 6 adjacent the pulley 1 is a fountain I3 containing a supply of bronze powder. The specliic design of the fountain I3 is a matter of' choice and if desired may consist merely of a box or hopper extending across the width of the machine and closed on its bottom jointly by a plush covered fountain roll I4 and blades I5 and I6.

The fountain roll I4 is driven in a manner to be hereinafter described and the blade I6 has its lower edge adjusted so as to contact the nap of its plush cover and cause the same to spray the powder down onto the work passing under the fountain. By adjusting the position of the lower edge of the blade I6 with respect to the surface of the roll and also determining the speed of rotation of the roll I4, the amount of powder supplied to the work may be regulated.

Alongside the fountain I3 is a plurality of buffers I1. 'I'hese buffers are generally in the form of pads extending transversely across the conveyer 6 and oppositely reciprocable to rub the bronze powder into the Work as it is carried therebeneath. The particular manner in which these buffers are driven forms no part of this invention and is therefore not shown.

After the work leaves the buffers I1, it enters a vacuum chamber I8 in which cleaning devices either in the form of cleaning rolls or brushes I9 mounted on the endless tapes traveling crosswise of the conveyer 6, as shown, sweep the excess bronze powder from the surface of the work. The cleaning rolls or brushes are driven in any suitable manner (not shown) and the vacuum chamber I8 is connected in some suitable manner with a source of vacuum which draws the excess bronze powder into a receptacle also not shown.

After the sheets leave the vacuum chamber I8, the bronzing operation is complete, and hence, the sheets are merely discharged to some suitable receptacle or stacked as is customary.

'I'he purpose of the present invention is to provide a control for the feed of bronze powder from the fountain I3. To this end, the drive for the fountain roll I4 incorporates an automatically controlled clutch mechanism now about to be described.

The actual drive for the fountain roll comprises a worm wheel 20 fixed to the shaft of the roll and having a worm 2| meshing therewith. 'I'he worm is fixed to an upright shaft 22 journalled in a bearing 23 at its upper end and a bearing 24 at its lower end. Longitudinally adjustable on the lower end portion of the shaft 22 is a friction wheel 25 the periphery of which is engageable 'with the surface of a friction disc 26 fixed to a shaft 21 also iournalled in the bearing 24 with its axis intersecting the axis of the shaft 22.

The friction disc 28 has its outer periphery formed with helical gear teeth 28 which mesh with a helical pinion 29 so that the disc is driven from the pinion. 'I'he pinion 29 isfixed to a shaft 30 Journalled in the frame of the machine. A pulley 3| attached to the shaft 38 and driven through a belt 32 from the main drive shaft 8 provides a drive for the pinion 29. i The angle of the helical gears 28 on the friction disc and the pinion 29 and the direction of rotation is such that the normal thrust of the gears holds the friction disc away from the periphery of the friction wheel 25 so that in the absence of some external force holding the friction disc against the friction wheel 25 no driving force is transmitted to the shaft 22 and consequently the fountain roll I4.

The friction wheel 25 and the friction disc 26 thus provide a clutch through the engagement and disengagement of which the feeding function of the fountain roll I4 is determined, the speed of the roll being adjustable by shifting the location of the wheel 25 on the shaft 22.

The external force necessary to effect engagement of the clutch composed of the wheel 25 and the disc 26, is provided by a diaphragm 35 responsive to suction from a suitable source such as a vacuum pump (not shown) at the dictation of valve means in the form of a suction shoe 36 acting in conjunction with a sheet S passing over the shoe. The sheet S forms theactual valve which determines when the diaphragm 35 acts. l

As best seen in Figure 2, the diaphragm 35 is mounted in a diaphragm chamber or housing 31 comprising a body which may form part of the bearing structure 24 and. a cover secured thereto about its periphery, the diaphragm being clamped between the body and cover as is customary. ,f

Fixed to the central portion of the diaphragm 35 is a cup-shaped housing 38 mounting a thrust bearing 39 which bears against a collar 48 fixed to the shaft 21. When the clutch is disengaged, as shown in Figure 2, the axial movement of the shaft 21 eifected by the thrust of the gears is limited by the engagement of the cup 38 with the wall of the housing 31, as shown.

Upon the creation of suction within the cover of the diaphragm chamber, the response of the diaphragm engenders a strong outward axial force upon the shaft 21 thus pulling the friction disc 26 firmly against the periphery of the friction wheel 25 and establishing the desired driving connection to the fountain roll I4. To connect the diaphragm chamber with the source of suction (not shown) a suction line 4I leads from the cover of the diaphragm chamber to a T-fitting 42. 'I'he stem of the T-fltting 42 is connected by a pipe 43 to the vacuum pump or other source of suction (not shown). The T-tting is also connected through a pipe 44 with the suction shoe 36.

It is to be observed that the line leading from the suction pipe 43 to the shoe 36 is short as compared to the line leading to the diaphragm chamber and is also of greater capacity so that unless the ports 45 of the suction shoe are covered, the entire force of the suction is spent through the suction shoe 36 so that there is no danger of possible response on the part of the diaphragm except when such response is desired.

As best shown in Figure 4, the suction shoe 36 is so mounted that its ports 45 are directly beneath one of the tapes of the conveyer l I. This tape is sufficiently porous so that the tape alone will not close the ports and cause the suction' to actuate the diaphragm, but when a sheet passes over the suction shoe, the ports 45 are effectively sealed so that the entire force of the suction is transmitted to the diaphragm to produce the desired response.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent that this inventionv affords simple means for coordinating the application of bronze powder onto the work with the passage of the work through the machine, and that this coordination is effected entirely without the need for timing mechanism and is controlled entirely by the passage of the work into the machine.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a bronzing machine, means for carrying sheets through the machine, means for depositing bronze powder onto the sheets as they are carried through the machine, means for controlling the functioning of said bronze depositing means, pneumatically operable means for rendering said bronze depositing means operative, and a suction port for controlling the functioning of the pneumatically operable means lying in the path of sheets moving into the machine to be closed thereby.

2. In a bronzing machine, the combination of a fountain for bronze powder, means for carrying sheets past the fountain, means for depositing bronze powder from the fountain onto the sheets as they pass the fountain, and means for controlling and coordinating the functioning of said bronze depositing means with the passage of sheets, including a suction port disposed in the path of the sheets approaching the fountain to be covered by said sheets as they approach the fountain.

3. In a bronzing machine, the combination of a fountain to hold a supply of bronze powder, means to carry sheets past the-fountain, mechanically driven means for depositing bronze powder from the fountain onto the sheets as they pass the fountain, a drive for said depositing means including a clutch, pneumatically operable means for engaging said clutch, a control for said pneumatically operable means including a suction port arranged in the path of sheets approaching the fountain, and common means connecting said pneumatically operable means and the suction port with a source of suction so that closure of the suction port by a. sheet eiects engagement of the clutch.

4. In a bronzing machine including means for carrying sheets through the machine and a fountain roll adapted upon rotation to deposit bronze powder upon sheets carried through the, machine, a drive for the fountain roll including a clutch, means for engaging the clutch including a diaphragm responsive to suction, and means dependent upon the passage of a sheet intothe machine for applying suction to the diaphragm, said last named means comprising a suction port lying in the path of sheets approaching the fountain to be closed thereby, and common means for connecting the suction port and diaphragm with a source of suction so that the diaphragm remains unaffected by suction until said port is closed.

5. In a bronzing machine, a carrier for carrying sheets through the machine, means for depositing bronze powder onto the sheets, an endless belt conveyer for presenting sheets to the carrier, and means for controlling the functioning of the bronze powder depositing means including a suction shoe arranged beneath said endless belt conveyer and having ports normally open to draw air through the interstices of the belt conveyer and adapted to be closed by a sheet carried along said belt conveyer so that said controlling means functions to render the bronze powder depositing means operative upon'the passage of a sheet over the suction shoe.

ELMER W. BELLUCHE. 

